1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a loading device for loading the power source battery, into small appliances having an electrical circuit such as a camera, particularly having a battery loading chamber for loading a number of cylindrical batteries as well as a one body type battery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Until now, a power source has been built into the camera or the like using a number of cylindrical unit batteries, whereby they are placed in parallel due to loading space. When the cylindrical unit batteries are placed adjacent to each other there is a surplus space between the unit batteries. In order to make use of this surplus space for the battery, a one body type battery has been proposed into which a number of unit batteries are shaped. For example, when two cylindrical unit batteries are shaped into a one body type battery with an elliptical section, the latter has a larger capacity using the same amount of space and is easier to handle. Furthermore, appliances in which two manganese or alkali manganese dry batteries each having 1.5 V of the electromotive force are connected in series in order to obtain 3 V of the electromotive force, using the one body type, for example, a lithium battery having 3 V of electromotive force is used, a larger capacity can be obtained with the same volume. This is quite convenient in building the power source into small appliances.
By choosing the total length, the total width, and the arrangement of electrodes of such a one body type battery to correspond to the size of the corresponding number of cylindrical unit batteries, it is possible to obtain interchangeability. The chamber for loading a number of unit batteries or a one body type battery can be elliptical because the positions of the electrodes are the same.
For the battery loading device capable of loading batteries of different shapes it is necessary to provide a protective means against accidental misloading of the battery in order to protect the appliance body, while the construction of the electrodes of the loading chamber is such that the power can be effectively delivered from two kinds of batteries to the electrical circuit of the appliance body. Especially for the one body type battery into which a number of unit batteries are shaped, the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery are in parallel on one end surface, whereby it is necessary that the electrodes are in contact with the contacts in the loading chamber whereby the battery is loaded and therefore miscontact must be prevented in advance when the battery is loaded in the wrong direction.
In a conventional battery loading device it is difficult to maintain the reliability of the electrode contact of the one body type battery of the present invention which has the positive electrode and the negative electrode on one end surface. Namely, until now as a means for detecting the diameter of the positive electrode and that of the negative electrode of the battery, for example, an insulating contact member is around the fixed terminal in such a manner that a battery electrode larger in the diameter than the determined battery electrode can not be brought in contact with the fixed terminal. However, when such means is used for the one body type battery, the battery is inclined in the battery chamber because the contact terminal is fixed or inferior contact can easily take place due to manufacturing error in the position of the battery electrodes, particularly their projection amount which may deviate from the normal.
Consequently, contacts are needed which are independently movable for the positive electrode and the negative electrode to produce a certain determined contact pressure even if the battery is inclined or if there is an error in the battery electrode. However, if the contacts in contact with the battery electrodes are movable in this way it is difficult to detect the positive and the negative electrode. For example, as a conventional means the contacts are made of springs on whose contact surfaces the electrode detectors are provided. However, due to the complicated construction it is a problem to provide the small appliances with them in view of the cost and space.
On the other hand, even if the reliability of the contact of the above electrodes and the means against counter-conduction by detecting the positive and the negative electrode are satisfied, another problem remains in order to use the one body type battery and cylindrical batteries commonly. Namely, in the device in which a number of cylindrical batteries are connected in series, a conductive member for connecting the negative electrode of one battery to the positive electrode of the other battery is needed, whereby the battery loading device having a cylindrical battery chamber and the cover for covering its opening in which, for example, two cylindrical batteries and a one body type battery corresponding to the above can be loaded is provided with a conductive plate on the back surface of the above cover. When the one body type battery is loaded in the wrong direction in such a device and the cover is closed, the positive and the negative electrode of one battery are short whereby not only the battery energy is consumed but there is also the danger of a battery explosion.
In view of the above situation it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery loading device having a cylindrical battery chamber and a cover for covering the chamber in which a number of cylindrical batteries are loaded in parallel and connected in series and also a one body type battery corresponding to the number of batteries, having an asymmetrical section and a projecting positive and a projecting negative electrode at one end can be loaded, whereby the contacts in contact with the electrodes of the loaded one body type battery are spring-shaped at the bottom of the battery chamber. Securing the fixed conductive member at the back surface of the cover, contact reliability is established for both the one body type battery and the cylindrical batteries and furthermore, by making the shape of the opening of the battery chamber almost similar to the asymmetrical section of the one body type battery it is impossible to load the one body type battery in the wrong direction. Furthermore, by providing, at a position on the bottom of the battery chamber at which the cylindrical batteries can be freely loaded, a contact member which is not brought in contat with the battery body when the one body type battery is loaded in the correct direction and is brought in contact with the end surface of the battery when the one body type battery is loaded in the wrong direction to prevent the battery from being loaded beyond a certain limit, the cover cannot be closed when the one body type battery is loaded in the wrong direction so that short circuiting can be avoided.
Furthermore, it often happens that when unit batteries are loaded into the afore mentioned battery loading device, one by one, the already loaded battery falls and prevents the next battery from being loaded. Namely, although the above elliptical in section battery chamber is convenient for the one body type battery, it is not always convenient for the cylindrical unit battery. In order to avoid the above difficulties, in accordance with the present invention, a movable separation plate is provided in the battery loading chamber to separate each of the loaded batteries, whereby the separation member is withdrawn from the battery chamber when the one body type battery is loaded.